#cotter pyke

Crows 🐦‍⬛

Like, they are two able men who are worthy to command the two other keeps still working at the Wall, so they are good ones. But they can't stand each other and they need to stay as far away as possible from the other, as far away as one is stationed at Eastwatch and the other at Shadow Tower, and no more away because Westwatch is not reliable to live or you could be sure Mallister would have been there and not in ST. Mormont probably wrote a full book advising his successor to make sure thosr two stay there as much as possible.

According to the first, the Lord Commander should be first and foremost a warrior, someone who can stand their ground against King Stannis and his never ending demands:

[...] And we need a fighter more than ever with this bloody king on top of us. Today it's ruins and empty fields, well and good, but what will His Grace want come the morrow? You think Mallister has the belly to stand up to Stannis Baratheon and that red bitch?" He laughed. "I don't.".

According to the latter, the Lord Commander should be a politician, someone able to treat with Lords and Kings. He also talks about the importance of birth, blood and education ( is anyone surprised that someone of noble birth has some classist standards?).

[...] The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch is a lord, first and foremost. He must be able to treat with other lords . . . and with kings as well. He must be a man worthy of respect." Ser Denys leaned forward. "We are the sons of great lords, you and I. We know the importance of birth, blood, and that early training that can ne'er be replaced. I was a squire at twelve, a knight at eighteen, a champion at two-and-twenty. I have been the commander at the Shadow Tower for thirty-three years. Blood, birth, and training have fitted me to deal with kings. [...]

And here we have Jon's description by Sam which fits both the criteria Cotter Pyke and ser Denys Mallister set:

"There's another man," Sam blurted out. "Lord Commander Mormont trusted him. So did Donal Noye and Qhorin Halfhand. Though he's not as highly born as you, he comes from old blood. He was castle-born and castle-raised, and he learned sword and lance from a knight and letters from a maester of the Citadel. His father was a lord, and his brother a king."

Chapter 54: The Gift

Cotter Pyke (left), commander of Eastwatch-by-the-sea, and Ser Denys Mallister (right), commander of the Shadow Tower

Here's my LEGO adaptation of alexandrokayart's Cotter and Denys fanarts, linked below:

Cotter:

Denys:

Mance Rayder - Fandom often mentions Brienne or Davos as the rare good person in Westeros and I feel like Mance should also get a shout out. He is of the smallfolk, has faced discrimination and cruelty and his only objective has been to save his people. Plus, he's charismatic, clever and undertaken a difficult mission to save the Lord Commander's sister. Last we heard, as per the pink letter, things are not looking good for Mance and I wouldn't wish Ramsay Bolton on anyone - so here's hoping that the letter is wrong and Mance and his spearwives managed to escape somehow.

Wun Wun - Representation for vegetarian giants! Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, one of the last of the giants doesn't deserve to die at the hands of Selyse' queensmen and I hope that he makes it out alive from the fighting that's going to be happening between Freefolk, Crows and Queensmen. The only folks on his side are Jon Snow and Leathers, a wildling, and last we see him he's getting slashed at with swords.

Cotter Pyke - A bastard like Jon Snow who can't read or write, and bold to confront arrogant nobles. A NW brother who follows orders no matter how much he dislikes it and vastly different to the likes of Thorne and Marsh. He stands up against Slynt during the election of the LC and sails to Hardhome on Jon's orders to rescue the Freefolk. Last we hear through his letter - dead things in the water - things are not looking good for Cotter and I hope he atleast knows somehow that Jon Snow did try to send help before things went south.

Wyman Manderly - Lord 'Too-fat-to-sit-a-horse' and his many chins is a much needed boost for the North and house Stark. Cunning and crafty, the character has many bad-ass moments including 'The North Remembers' and Frey pies. Not to mention his snark and barbs at the Freys - "Though mayhaps this was a blessing. Had he lived he would have grown up to be a Frey". Underestimated because he's fat (not by Roose...) Manderly is secretly plotting to put house Stark back on the map and I don't want to see him gone. However, things are not looking good for him at the end of ADwD, being slashed at by the Freys and seriously injured in Winterfell. I am hoping that we get to know he's still alive through a Asha or Theon POV chapter.

part of a small personal project where i wanted to draw some ironborn characters that are underrepresented in fanart.